Odessa taught me one simple thing

The truest stories begin in ways we never plan.

One evening, I went out for a walk by the sea. A warm breeze was blowing, the city hummed somewhere behind me, and people on the Primorsky Boulevard were hurrying about their business. I stopped by the railing and suddenly realized that I hadn’t been in a rush to go anywhere for a long time—I was simply standing there, gazing at the sea.

A man happened to be nearby and had stopped as well. We struck up a conversation quite by chance—first about the weather, then about Odesa, our favorite spots, and how, at times, one simply craves a heartfelt conversation.

We never met again. Yet, for some reason, I still remember that very evening.

Perhaps that is the magic of Odesa: a chance encounter here can leave behind a warm memory that lasts for years.

My name is Victoria. I believe that coincidences aren't always just coincidences. And perhaps I am here right now to meet someone with whom—one day—I’ll want not just to chat by the sea, but to share many more evenings like that. ❤️